Seal for railroad freight-cars



i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.`

` HENRY D. MEARS AND WILLIAM HOULTON, JR., OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

SEAL FOR RAILROAD FREIGHT-CARS, &o.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,802, dated July 14, 1857.

Vinvented an Improved Seal Applicable to the Sealing o'r' Railroad Freightars and to a Variety of Analogous Purposes; and we do Y hereby declare that the following is a full and exact descri tion of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The nature of our invention consists in a device for sealing freight cars, express chests, customhouse packages, wine cellars, mail bags, hatches of vessels, &c., in such a manner that they cannot be opened without the seals beingso violated as to render detection certain, said device consisting of a piece of wire of any suitable length, the ends of which f are received into a disk of soft metal, and

fixed there by the blow of a hammer or by compression in pincers, the disk being by the same blow or compression impressed with any desired inscription or device.

The mode of sealing now in general use is by means yof waX. This material is objectionable because it becomes soft and loses theV impression in warm weather, and becomes excessively brittle in cold weather, so as to fly at the least jar. In many cases of suspected violation, it is impossible to determine whether a wax seal has been intentionally tampered with or merely injured by accident. Our seal is liable to no such uncertainty. It cannot be violated without cutting the wire or forcing open the disk, either of which'operations would be certain and easy of detection.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l re resents our seal com lete, as it appears w en a plied to use wit a stamp upon it. Fig.2 s ows the wire and disk separate, and the position of the holes or slots which receive the wire. Fig. 3 shows the wire inserted in the holes or slots in the disk, the

position of the wire within the disk being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 4, shows a modnication of our device, being a disk with but one hole through it, into which the ends of the wire are assed.

A represents t e disk, B the wire, and C, C, the holes or slots in all the figures.

The operation is as follows: The wire is passed through staples or their equivalents, attached to the door and door-frame of the car to be sealed. The ends of the wire are then bent, if necessary, into the hooked or barbed shape shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and passed into the holes or slots in the soft metallic disk, which is then struck with the proper die by means of a hammer or pincers, and, being compressed by the operation,

- grasps and holds the wire within it so firmly that no force short of what would destroy the seal is able to detach it. After being used the disk is preserved for remelting.

It is obvious that a metallic strip may be substituted for wire without changing the nature of our device, and that holes or slots of various shapes and sizes may be employed, such changes being mere variations of our plan.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters'Patent, is-

The seal hereinbefore described, the same consisting of a disk of soft metal having one or more holes or slots through it for the reception ofthe ends of a wire or metallic strip, which are conned by the compression ofthe disk, all constructed and o erated substantiall in the manner descri ed and applied t0 t e purposes specified.

The above specification, signed and witnessed this eleventh day of June, A. D. 1857.

HENRY D. MEARS. WM. HOULTON, JR. Witnesses:

RoBT. B. JAnvIs, WM. E. CLARKE. 

